1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and more particularly, to an image processing apparatus, an imaging apparatus, and an image processing method that process a plurality of images that are consecutive in a time series, and a program that allows a computer to perform the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, imaging apparatuses such as digital still cameras and digital video cameras (for example, camera-integrated recorders) that generate a captured image (image data) by imaging a subject such as a person and record the captured image that has been generated as an image content are widely used. In addition, recording, for example, the appearance of sports such as golf and a baseball game by using such imaging apparatuses as contents is widely performed. The contents (for example, moving image contents) recorded as above can be used, for example, for checking the form of sports (for example, a golf swing or a batting (a baseball game)).
For example, in a case where the form of sports (for example, a golf swing or batting (baseball game)) is checked, a synthesized image generating method in which an image representing the transition in the operation is generated as a synthesized image for easy understanding of the transition in the operation is proposed. For example, an imaging apparatus that selects a plurality of images from among consecutively photographed images at a predetermined interval and generates a synthesized image by using the plurality of images that have been selected is proposed (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-44573 (FIG. 9)).